A new deal with France aimed at reducing the number of small boat crossings has been announced by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.

The deal, which pays France to patrol its beaches and stop migrant crossings, will see an expansion of law enforcement deployed across Northern France.

In exchange, the UK will pay France £500 million, with a further £160 million contingent on results.

ITV News explains what is included in the deal and where the money is being spent.

What is included in the deal?

The new deal will see an increase in law enforcement officials, the deployment of a new unit of specially trained officers, and an expansion of several units already in operation.

Currently, around 750 law enforcement personnel are deployed to French beaches, who have stopped 42,000 attempted crossings to Britain since Labour took office. Across several distinct units, this number is set to rise by 40%.

This will include a new unit of 50 police officers specially trained in riot and crowd control tactics, and equipment to deal with hostile crowds and violent tactics.

The intelligence and judicial police unit of 18 people is set to expand to 30, in an effort to increase the arrest rate and prosecution of people smugglers across the region.

Drone surveillance, two new helicopters, and a new camera system will also be deployed to assist law enforcement officers in their operations.

French officials will also increase the targeting of so-called taxi boats – where people smugglers try to avoid detection by sending one person sailing a dinghy along the coast alone to beaches where migrants scramble aboard in the water.

How much will it cost?

The new deal will cost the UK £500 million, with an extra £160 million pledged depending on performance.

This is up from the £478 million the Conservatives committed to the previous deal in 2023.

That deal expired last month, with the home secretary signing a last-minute £16.2 million stopgap arrangement while negotiations continued.

The Home Office told ITV News this agreement would be in place for three years and that the additional £160 million would be redirected if the work carried out by law officials was deemed unsuccessful.

The Home Office said it would not put a target on the number of small boat interceptions.

Joint work with the French has stopped over 42,000 illegal migrants attempting to cross the channel through intervention and dispersal. Joint law enforcement operations have also seen 480 migrant traffickers arrested in 2025.

What have UK officials said?

Announcing the deal, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “Our work with the French has stopped tens of thousands of illegal migrants boarding boats headed to Britain.

“But we must do more. This landmark deal will stop illegal migrants making the perilous journey and put people smugglers behind bars.”

Hailing the new agreement, the prime minister said: “We must restore order and control to our borders. That means bearing down on these dangerous crossings and bringing people smugglers to justice.

“This historic agreement means we can go further: ramping up intelligence, surveillance and boots on the ground to protect Britain’s borders.”

Does anyone oppose the bill?

Some argue that a focus on small boat crossings does little to treat the cause of the issue.

Imran Hussain, Director of External Affairs at Refugee Council, accused the government of “treating the symptom not the cause”, saying that policing alone won’t “prevent desperate people” from turning to small boats.

“We know from our frontline services why people risk their lives to reach the UK: many already speak some English, have family here, or have cultural connections to Britain,” he said.

“After fleeing brutal persecution and war in countries like Afghanistan and Sudan, they just want to rebuild their lives in peace. But the government has shut down the few safe and legal pathways available, including family reunion, a route that overwhelmingly helped women and children,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Conservatives argue this is money poorly spent.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “The government’s deal hands over half a billion pounds of our money with no conditions at all. France only prevented a third of embarkations last year and even let those illegal immigrants go to try again. France shouldn’t get a single penny unless they stop the vast majority of the boats.

“This weak government has no control of our borders. Since the election, over 70,000 illegal immigrants have crossed – a 45 per cent increase compared to before the election. Their claim to smash the gangs is laughable.

“The only way to fix this is the Conservative Party’s Borders plan – leave the ECHR so we can deport all illegal immigrants within a week of arrival, and then the crossings would soon stop. But Shabana Mahmood and Keir Starmer are too weak to do this.”